In 1988 I was a single mom without child support. I had no help and no generational wealth. I went to free (except for books) community college in the mornings, then rushed to my M-F bartender job from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm. at a tiny establishment frequented by construction workers.

Working 30 hours a week, I paid for a 2 bedroom/2 bath spacious apartment in a beautiful area with pool and a view. Utilities and bills were as much as rent, and childcare alone took as much as all expenses. I still had what would amount to $560 in today’s dollars PER WEEK for clothes, vacations, entertainment.

We often went to Disneyland. We flew around for holidays. We wore the nicest clothes and I threw big parties.

What’s going on right now - what young people are trying to deal with - is fucking criminal. Everyone should be able to live in comfort with disposable income the same way people did 36 years ago. No “well inflation” or “but wages” excuses.